Pages on Dental Fear Central
Some Thoughts on Language and Apprehensive Patients – Lincoln Hirst shares his tips for communicating with nervous patients, giving many practical examples
Top Tips for Treating Nervous Patients – Fraser Hendrie, who specialises in providing dental care for nervous patients, shares his top tips for easing patients’ fears.
Helping Survivors of Sexual, Emotional and Physical Abuse
The Art and Science of Distraction by Lloyd Jerome
Explain-Ask-Show-Do by Fraser Hendrie
Loss of Control (aimed at patients, but contains a range of tips for dental professionals)
How to deal with a bad gag reflex
Gadgets
Vibraject – Why nothing should be too much trouble for our anxious patients by Murray Hawkins
Good vibrations? – DentalVibe vs Vibraject Product Test by Lincoln Hirst
Visit our gadgets and product tests page for more reviews.
Courses and Organisations
Click here for a listing of UK and Ireland based organisations and courses related to dental anxiety management.
Overviews – Managing dental anxiety, fear and phobia
Management of fear and anxiety in the dental clinic: a review (JM Armfield, LJ Heaton, 2013) – This paper presents a review of a number of non-pharmacological techniques that can be used to help anxious patients
Strategies to manage patients with dental anxiety and dental phobia: literature review (DP Appukuttan, 2016)
Dental Anxiety, Fear and Phobia (PDF) – Mike Gow shines some light on dental phobias – and explains how the International Society of Dental Anxiety Management can help
Local Anaesthesia
Handbook of Local Anesthesia – Book and DVD Package by Stanley Malamed – 6th Ed. / 2012. Try before you buy: Malamed’s Local Anaesthesia videos on Youtube
Successful Local Anaesthesia for Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics by Al Reader, John Nusstein and Melissa Drum (2012). This book will help you successfully anaesthetize your patients using the newest technology and drugs available. It presents the rationale, advantages, and limitations of the various anaesthetic agents and routes of administration. A special emphasis is placed on supplemental anaesthetic techniques.
How to overcome failed local anaesthesia by J.G. Meechan (PDF file)
Advanced Local Anaesthetia – What you need to know (slides) by David A. Isen (2017)
The Wand – Information for UK customers wishing to purchase the Wand/STA computer-assisted anaesthesia system
Communication
Iatrosedation – Nathan Friedman’s classic (1967) paper on the iatrosedative process in full
The Use of Positive Language in Dentistry (PDF file) – Mike Gow describes how to use positive language and suggestion in your practice, and also provides an example of a positively framed patient leaflet following tooth removal.
The inter-personal work of dental conscious sedation: a qualitative analysis (2017) – Stephen Woolley discusses data regarding the inter-personal work integral to effective conscious sedation provision.
Keeping an Open Mind (PDF file): Mike Gow explains some of the ways hypnotherapy can be used in day-to-day practice.
Patient Forms and Research Questionnaires
Please Handle Me With Care Dental Patient Form: This patient form was developed by people with dental anxieties. It is designed to identify specific fears. Also useful for practice websites, so patients can complete the form prior to their appointment.
Reliability and validity of the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+) in an Australian adult sample (Jason Armfield) – A new and improved instrument for measuring dental anxiety and fear which avoids many of the problems associated with the MDAS and Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale, Revised (DAS-R)
“How do we measure dental fear and what are we measuring anyway?” by Jason M. Armfield (2010). A review and critique of dental anxiety indices.
Sedation
Conscious sedation – the only tool in the box? (2008) – Stephen Woolley looks at some underlying assumptions made about the management of dental phobia and the ramifications of sedation as being the preferred method employed with anxious patients.
The inter-personal work of dental conscious sedation: a qualitative analysis (2017) – Stephen Woolley discusses data regarding the inter-personal work integral to effective conscious sedation provision.
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